PS Vita Information

Sunday, December 31, 2017

We made it, thanks to developers small and large, with ambition and desire, the Vita had a pretty darn good 2017 and is looking remarkably strong into 2018 with around 100 games still on the release list.

The news that Catherine is coming to Vita caused outage and apoplexy among some gamers, but shows just how much Japanese publishers admire the machine's longevity and place in the market. This strong Japanese translated line-up and growing smaller developer interest, physical collectables and strong retro vibe make the Vita a good place to be.

So, to 2018 and there are several questions to ponder:

Is Vita be powerful enough for low-poly games? There are lots of titles out like Morphite in development, but ports seem to be struggling to get over. Either someone needs to craft a Vita-focused engine, or a clever coder needs to show that ports are possible. If so, that's a healthy raft of new PC and mobile games that could come our way. Full on FPS titles like Killzone prove it has the power, but getting small indes to harness it through generic engines is a different matter.

Will Sony budge on firmware/apps/games? There's so much Sony could do to improve the Vita's lot in life, with only small tweaks needed. An update to the Bluetooth stack would help Vita run with more headphones and sound systems.

Updating the Twitter app to the new character count would help, while making it easier to auto-post screenshots, or refine the cludgy photo-copying nightmare would improve shareability. None of this takes much effort and would show a little love that only updates firmware to clamp down on hack exploits. Netflix for Europe, please, anyone?

Also, why on earth isn't there an indie-hits bundle on western shelves? Sony is in the business of making money, and even a small production run would generate interest, help sales and encourage more games.

The bigger question is games, is it really too much for Sony to divert some development effort to small but fun Vita games to help jolly the ecosystem along, create some buzz and help attract more developers? Talking of...

Who's new to the party?

A lot of people are putting in major effort to work on the Vita, but we can't rely on their grace for long. While PlayStation Mobile was running, a decent number of people learned to code on the Vita, and gave us a fun bunch of games, some of which have returned as fully-fledged Vita titles. A developer-friendly relaunch might be one way to attract future talent, and help patch over the fact that most dev tools have dropped Vita support in their latest versions.

I see signs of developers interested in Vita, but there really needs to be a consolidated point of effort to make things happen (as when ROM 2064 devs crapped miracles to get it on Vita).

The bigger problem for Sony, Vita 2 or nothing?

Sony has no clue how the Vita is still going, and the company's clueless executives probably wince every time Vita gets mentioned. At home in Japan where the PS4 continues to get pummelled by the Switch (aka the Vita 2 that Sony should have launched), things must be pretty grim - Sony can't launch a PS4 Pro+ or a PS5 yet, while the huge gap in the market for a Vita 2 is being rapidly filled by massive Switch sales figures.

So, Sony is out for the count, richer thanks to PS4 after years of losses, but unable to address the problem that a Vita 2 would fill. Which leaves our little box of aging hardware to do battle against the world into 2018. Handily the growing success of indies and niche titles means it can fight so far above its weight that it is almost unimaginable. With games focused on the Spectrum, MegaDrive, C64, 16-bit and other eras hugely in vogue, the Vita can handle these easily, and as long as developers report some sales success it will remain a tempting port or development target.

What do you want to see in 2018? Let people know in the comments or on Twitter!

At a concert for the 25th anniversary of Metal Max, Kadokawa dropped a new tailer and showed off some more detail about the new game for Vita and PS4. You can translate the Famitsu piece for the information, but the video shows off plenty of interest.

Friday, December 29, 2017

Let's game like its 1992, as Stately Snail's One More Dungeon takes a leaf from the original flat-plane pseudo-3D Wolfenstein game and wraps it up in a dungeon-RPG style randomised adventure set over nine compact levels.

Sealed underground, your rogueish character armed with a magic wand and a short sword must explore and survive the blocky-pixel horrors within. Bats, rats, spiders, ghosts and traps are just some of the perils as you squint down each mossy corridor, hoping for health or a top-up for your fire, ice or other magic weapons, but mostly its monsters or annoying dead ends.

You'll probably waste a lot of ammo at first, figuring out that the oddly animated eye-ball or gloopy plant isn't actually an enemy, while the hidden secrets will keep you running around a level for ages, looking for every last bit of help. There's the odd bout of crate bashing for items which might provide a bonus, or might not, all the while praying you don't get jumped by a lurking beast that can sap your last bit of health.

With most enemies lobbing rocks or poisonous spit, keeping them at arm's length is essential, so our hero relies on magic to kill from range. Learning how close you can get to a monster before they activate is a key survival skill. Upgrading to better weapons in a randomly-appearing shop, operated by a very strange naked caveman, or finding them by luck will help. But keeping up your magical ammo and maintaining health by trading coins is another random option.

Even so, too often, you are faced with an unwinnable situation, thanks to a gathered horde. To lighten things up, portals can zap you to other bonus areas where coins, magical powers that consume your mind energy, or tougher enemies might be on the menu, but finding each level's overlord and taking the key to the exit from its corpse is the main aim.

Blockbuster or blocked?

With a lot of roguelike Vita games available, unfortunately, the random nature of OMD counts against it, as there's so much that can be lost in the jumbled clutter of each level and the sudden onset of death. Many other games make their progress system fairer or more enjoyable.

OMD relies on mutators, earned after collecting enough points, that change the game state to make it easier (or tougher) to play next time out. But, they don't make it more entertaining to play, which is a shame. The lack of any story, or a little humour, also flattens the experience somewhat.

It is good to see the old blocky 3D engine making a comeback and there's plenty of scope for Stately Snail to add more features, skins and build some proper adventure, action or RPG experiences from their underlying tech.

However, this is one of the first games I've been able to compare on my Vita and new Switch, and it is obvious to see the Vita's sluggishness. Therefore, any evolution of the engine is likely to bypass the aging Sony hardware.

I'd like to love this game a little more, but - while strangely addictive - it really isn't that fun compared to Xenon Valkyrie + or many of its pixelly brethren. Why can you auto-pick up some things, and have to press X to grab others? Why is there often a shop on the first level or a load of chests when you have no coins or keys? I guess, sometimes, too much random can be a poor substitute for a well-designed game, especially when something as iconic as Wolfenstein started the ball rolling.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

The Vita sold 14,041 units in Japan, according to Media Create figures, a numeric palindrome to celebrate its best figures of the calendar year! Again, sales are around a quarter of what they were week-on-week in previous years, but that's still a healthy amount of hardware until you see the Switch sold over a quarter of a million units last week alone, and 500K in two weeks.

Even so, the word "viable" is all we need to hear, and for Sony to pay the slightest bit of attention as the Vita has a solid roster for 2018, as the PS4 continues to get caned by Switch.

No games to note in the software Media Create chart, with Atelier Lydie & Soeur failing to beak the top 20.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Hot on the heels of the Catherine news, Atlus is showing off its continued Vita support with new looks at Persona 5 Dancing Star Night and Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night. Anyone else about to dig out Persona 3 to get reacquainted with the characters over Christmas? The games are dated for 24th May with various editions in Japan.

Friday, December 22, 2017

As the Japanese trailer pops up, with news of a late 2018 launch, Atlus has just confirmed Catherine: Full Body will get a western release. The teaser site has no detail yet, and platforms and date are TBD. But, if it doesn't come to Vita, I'd imagine Atlus' bosses will have to assume new identities.

From the press release:

Is it a nightmare or a dream come true? A new test of Vincent Brooks' morality is about to take the stage.

ATLUS today announced that Catherine: Full Body will be coming to the West. This new twist on the original Catherine, a mature romantic action-adventure puzzle game from the makers of the Persona series, will include a new love interest, "Rin," with distinct storyline elements for the character, and additional puzzle content. Vincent's love life has never been so complicated and dramatic!

Vincent's apartment hasn't seen the last of the sensual people in his life. With new storyline elements for both Catherine and Katherine, players will have ample opportunity for new experiences in Catherine: Full Body.

As for release date and pricing, ATLUS reveal that later, slowly.

Truth is, I really didn't get the PS3 game all that much, but didn't put a great deal of time into it. On the Vita though, this looks like a different proposition.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Skull Pirates is funded on Kickstarter and wading through the stretch goals, with 10 days to go and $33K raised. The latest campaign update shows off the box art for the physical versions. So, get backing or upgrade your tier if you want one of these shiny baubles in 2018.

There's so much I wanted to write in this year, but never had the time or the reality to proceed with. For example, there's no "Here's how good movies look on Sony's HD Vita OLED successor" or "10 new cool features in the latest Vita firmware update."

I'd also love to spend time recording quality videos for YouTube but it has long been established I have a face for radio and a voice for mime! However, others have been producing sterling work, and doing Sony's job for them, supporting the Vita through Hell and low puddles, alongside my little blog here.

Somehow, by the miracles worked from the people below, despite Sony having moved on and the specialist press only getting excited at hacks, games they want to talk about or feature removals, the Vita is looking at a strong 2018! Well done everyone for making and talking about the games.

Love your developer

First are foremost are the developers still crafting games, hustling ports and working their butts off to bring us entertainment well into 2018 and beyond, for what it has to be said, is a minimal reward. You can follow those active on Twitter, on this list. Free free to nudge me with any additions.

Be kind to content makers

Quite a few people are still maintaining the community with Vita sites and blogs. Kresnik Ahtreide‏ has put a huge amount of effort into a fine set of articles on the output of key publishers from Sony, Atlus, Aksys, Sega, Devolver and others who have helped keep the ball rolling.

Sites like Vita Player continue with a wide range of news and reviews, and there are many more in other languages from Poland to Spain and far beyond. Check out the full list on the Vita Family page.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

With faith restored in Vita game sales by the decent impact of Hacker's Memory in the Media Create chart, I figured now is a good time to look at the best selling launches in Japan over the year. Note, these numbers exclude digital sales!

For a start, we can see why Super Robot Wars X is on the schedule for 2018! The little robots and the psycho killers from Danganronpa look like the only standout series left running on the Vita, when it comes to sales.

Elsewhere, it is mostly long-running series or crossovers helping keep up the Vita's profile. The rest are an endless series of visual novels, love adventures and so on, with literally 100s of the little rascals not making this list.

Scattered among them a few poor showings, with new RPGs like The Lost Child and Tokyo Clanpool failing to make a major dent. Bandai clearly remain the leading publishers, but there's a healthy supporting cast helping to keep the Vita moving in 2018. As long as they are happy selling 5,000 copies per games, perhaps that enough to see them into 2019!

Depending on interest, I may do a total sales version of this, but first week sales are pretty decisive in Japan, especially for a niche format like the Vita. Only Minecraft on Vita had legs for more than a few weeks in the chart! Let me know if I've missed something!

Bandai's Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory is the biggest selling Vita game for ages, shifting 24,636 physical copies, and reasonably spanking the 20,890 copies sold on PS4. At least it proves a big enough name will sell on the Vita and gives further reason for the Vita to succeed in 2018 with the likes of Catherine on the way.

On the hardware front, Vita sold 9,049 units last week, another nudge in the right direction but dwarfed by the 221K Switch sales. Guess this is mostly seasonal sales and users upcycling, although new games could be driving some buyers to the stores.

Last week's figures here. Since I'm the lucky recipient of a Switch, I'll soon be able to do a proper comparison between the two. But, clearly, Nintendo has caught the wave with the right product at the right time, crushing PS4 sales.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Many years ago, games like Beach Head, Raid Over Moscow and a few others used to throw all the genres plus the kitchen sink into their releases, creating various challenges for players.

Today, enter Where Are My Friends? A game just released on Steam in October from Russian dev Beard Games Studio, it heads to the Vita according to a trophy listing. With a hand-drawn look and a sort of uni-cycling eyeball for a hero, there seems like lots to do as four genres mash, bringing puzzling and platforming together.

Atlus in Japan has announced a remake/refresh of the PS3 title Catherine. It revolves around the nightmares of a man dating two women, Catherine and Katherine, with a third lady added to the party for this update. Hitting PS4 and Vita next year, more news on what is now Catherine: Full Body is due in a couple of days.

UPDATE: Famitsu has published with a raft of details that are floating across various sites.

The new version features different endings, FMV and "sexy" events. To help get people through to the end, there's a fuller range of difficulty levels and gameplay tweaks. The third girl is called Rin who works at Vincent’s usual bar, creating a set of new branches for the story.

No word on a western release, yet.

The update is being worked on by Studio Zero, with Katsura Hashino, the director of Persona 5 taking the helm. There's a website here with the new information coming via Nico Nico on Friday.

Friday, December 15, 2017

Even while stabbing away at updating the Japanese part of the release list, and dropping JP videos across the week, I have no hope of keeping up with all the new Vita games coming to Japan.

Fortunately, some clever soul has put together a video of all the key games in one place (excluding Catherine: Full Body, which was only just announced). Some are familiar, some are already out in the west and others will come as a pleasant surprise.

Vita titles are in the first half of this eight-minute celebration of gaming!

The fun continues next week on PSN with Xenon Valkyrie +, but sneaking into the release list is a revamp of a PSM game from Necrosoft, the folk that gave us OutRun-esque hoof-hitter, Oh, Deer.

Their latest release came out on PSM originally, then reappeared on iOS a year ago, and now comes full circle on the Vita. Gunhouse is a cartoonish tower defence puzzler, that looks pretty distinctive, and after all the PC indie hits its good to see developers going back to some of those overlooked PSM titles.

Still waiting for Life of Pixel SE from Super Icon, anything else from the PSM roster you'd like to see?

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Vita sales last week in Japan were 8,483 according to Media Create figures, helping drag the Sony machine a little away from obsolescence in the seasonal sales. The numbers are tracking currently at about half of last winter's figures. Over the year, the portable is headed for around 350,000 units, so down two-thirds in a year.

Things would be a lot better if Sony had launched a HD Vita/PS4 Remote Player a year ago as Switch continues to eat its cake, lunch and babies, with 165,000 sales over the week! That double the PS4's combined sales and pisses all over Sony as the company runs out of steam and ideas fast.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Probably mentioned this before, but Steamworld Dig and Steamworld Heist go physical this week thanks to Limited Run Games for $24.99 each with a 3K production run. PlayStation TV compatibility is a new feature.

Image & Form's critically acclaimed SteamWorld games will be available as complete physical editions on the PlayStation Vita. Each is fully patched with any applicable DLC included on the cart.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Fabrice Breton brings Vita owners a delicious slice of arcade roguelike action in the form of his Vita port of Diabolical Mind's Xenon Valkyrie +. The plus indicates the game has various gameplay improvements over the PC original, but since I'd never heard of the game until recently, its all new.

A blocky little pixel actioner, you land on an imperiled planet where an evil witch has taken control of the machines. Starting off by picking from one of three crew, weak but nimble, strong but slow etc. Initially, you have a couple of easy levels to explore, learn the ropes and level them up to face the first boss, with much tougher battles beyond that.

Your crew ventures out into that first Ancient Techforest. Armed with swords, guns with limited ammo, grenades and the odd special move like a super-leap to reach higher areas. More importantly, they each offer a slightly different route through the game, with a few special areas to uncover.

Whoever you chose, they stumble around the randomly generated levels, as you learn how to deal with the killer robots on patrol, the radar comes in handy in this respect. Note there's no penalty/death for falling, but deciding when and how to use your sword or gun is a key life skill.

Another tactic is wall climbing and learning how far you can jump or how to get into the narrow gaps where chests packing health and credits may be stashed. Spend a little time learning the ropes, like letting the enemy kill each other, and you can save a lot of pain!

Most levels feature a locked treasure chest that might have a better weapon, a useful tool or just a random piece of crap. Also, if you finish the first level without losing your shield, you get some extra bonus strength points that make your weapons more powerful!

Leveling up your strength and defence is key, but depends on the weapons you find. Also, finding cash is important as, at the end of each level, you can buy some stock goods like shields, ammo and health. There's a surprising amount of thought that can go into each run, but still, there's nothing quite like racing through the level leaving a trail of carnage in your wake.

A key trick when you reach the portal is the ability to return to the top of each level, a wise move if you missed a chunk out through a big fall or found a good chest but couldn't reach it from below. Sure it takes time, but could add valuable coins and experience levels to your haul, a lovely touch!

In the early going, learning about the game is vital. Some enemies can be easily killed just by whacking them from a safe ledge above or below. Others will explode after a few hits, so you need to worry about damage or plan to have them blow a useful hole in the scenery. Later enemies leap around madly, requiring careful planning or luck (in fact, mostly luck) to survive. Figuring out who does what and how to get around will help build your character up for those boss battles.

In these, the screen is dominated by a trigger-happy fiend who will take a little more figuring out how to kill. Beat him, her or it, and you can take a breather before the next battle. If you've found enough rare metal Teamerite, you can trade it in for some proper rare weaponry, before setting out again to the deeper levels.

As the opposition gets tougher, and the levels more complex, you can use grenades to blast rocks and create your own paths, ideal for accessing that hard to reach reward or to make it easier to kill sterner enemies. But, with leaping, exploding creatures all around survival becomes a serious challenge the deeper you go. Get even further and some robot drones can be hired to help with extra firepower or other useful abilities.

If you want a closer look, check out 12 minutes of gameplay here. With lots of little rules and skills, you do need to pay attention. Pure fun to play, Xenon Valkyrie is packed with challenge, for such a little game. The desire to do better on my next run after yet another permadeath hasn't worn off yet, and to find out what the other tools are weapons are. The chiptune soundtrack is sumptuous and the tiny graphics work well on the Vita's screen.

Fancy some Super Robot Wars that isn't all Japanese? Bandai Asia is releasing a subbed version over there. Available on PS4 and Vita in digital and physical form, if you're heading to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines or Indonesia after 26th April, pick one up or get importing.

Wow, Bandai really is pushing the boat on this, here's a translated interview with producers Shinya Satake and Takanobu Terada explaining what's new and fun in this version.

This seven-minute clip is probably lots of stuff we've seen before, I don't have the time to go through all of Bandai's previous output for the new Hacker's Memory game to check. Either way, enjoy it, and wonder why they didn't go the Pokemon Go route and add an AR mode?

The game is out in Japan this week, coming west in early 2018, and since the first outing was pretty fantastic fun, expect plenty of love for the game as a new generation of beasties are bred and evolved.

Saturday, December 9, 2017

How funny is that? In the previous story on Stardew Valley I casually mentioned that all we need is Lucas Pope’s Papers, Please on the Vita and we have the essential indie set. Lo and behold, just a day later, Lucas tweets his game is coming out next week.

Friday, December 8, 2017

Probably the best news we’ll get before Christmas. The Stardew Valley dev blog has confirmed a portable edition of the popular farm game. That comes after a few non-committal comments over the year. All that leaves is Papers, Please and we have pretty much all the key indie games that will likely fit on a Vita. Thanks will be Cross Buy with the PS4 version, but no multiplayer, can live with that!

With even low-ploy games struggling to run on Sony’s ageing hardware do shout if you think there’s anything else we need.

Idea Factory had its little west-coast party last night with a few new bits to share across PS4, PSVR and Vita. The upshot for portable lovers was a new trailer for the visual novel Hakuoki Edo Blossoms, out next spring.

It features some pivotal moments in your quest to romance handsome samurai bachelors. The young Chizuru, determined to find her father, will romance the famous warriors of Shinsengumi through a series of engaging stories and dramatic events. Now, experience new characters, love interests, and episodes in the world of Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms!

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Here's the launch trailer for Ratalaika's One More Dungeon, a rare FPS outing for the Vita. Somewhere between the original Wolfenstein 3D and Hexen era, it offers a roguelike shooter, with procedurally generated levels and pixel-art graphics. The game is Cross Buy and Cross Play with the PS4.

Your mission is to reach a final level deep within the dungeon and destroy the obelisks that are used by forces of Evil to invade the world. Using melee weapons, magic staff and antique artefacts to wade through the hordes of enemies while finding the many secrets!

Features include:

Procedurally generated levels.

30+ types of enemies and 80+ items.

A Sanity level that can reduced by using artefacts acquired in-game.

Customisable gameplay in the form of modifiers that can be tweaked prior to playing, to tailor make the gameplay to one of your choosing.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Some two years after the original reveal trailer, Iconoclasts finally has a release date, on the 23rd January. That's what comes of one man taking on a crazy mission to recreate his own vision of platforming perfection, step forward Joakim Sandberg, aka Konjak.

Here's a fresh launch trailer and you can read more on the PlayStation blog. It looks epic in scale and I hope all those crystal and snow scenes really pop on the Vita's OLED.

Could the comeback be on? While the Switch manages to sell 125,000 in Japan last week, Vita sales stormed past the 6K barrier to 6,127 units! That's thanks to seasonal sales, which while still poor compared to previous years should convince developers that the Vita will be viable in 2018. Spring still looks pretty strong for the Vita in Japan with new games being announced daily.

Unfortunately, while Switch games boss the Media Create chart, there are no Vita games to be seen in the top 20. Over in Famitsu land, Bandai's Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory on PS Vita and PS4 grabbed a feisty score or 9/9/9/8 for 35/40 to be the best-rated game. It lands in Japan next week, so could make an impact.

UPDATE: Prototype's Alice: Heads & Tails romance VN has a fresh trailer with a gorgeous soundtrack, the rest looks pretty by the numbers with derigeur pastel art and doey eyes all over the place.

More madness from Sega Japan, with a decent look at Certain Magical Virtual-On, we've seen the intro clip before but stick around for some gameplay, multiplayer and even a hint at the PS4/PS Vita Cross Play mode.

Over here, Shantae gets another bunch of levels thanks to the Friends to the End update, the last part of the Shantae: Half-Genie Hero story. When Shantae falls prey to dark magic, it’s up to Shantae's BFFs Sky, Bolo, and Rottytops to save her from a Nightmare Realm of her own imagining!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Abylight helped bring Cursed Castilla to the Vita recently, and they're firmly on the retro bus now with Super Hydorah. This classic-looking shooter with heavy-on-the-scanline effect display looks like it came right out of the Psygnosis or Thalamus era.

In Super Hydorah, an evil force has launched an invasion of the Omios star. As the most skilled and deadly pilot in the galaxy, you face the dreadful menace of the Meroptians, bio-mechanical creatures set in a ruthless war of conquest. Equip your ship, select a route and fight planet by planet against the hordes!

Well-rated on Steam, the Vita version is limited to single player only, but still has lots to offer. Including:

21 levels divided into 35 sublevels, 35 bosses and more than 100 enemies

Non-linear level layout with route selection

Dangers of different nature in each level (not just bullets)

Weapon selection and power-ups in every mission

Memorable and epic original soundtrack by Gryzor87

Secrets, multiple endings, achievements plus rank system

Robot chase minigame adapted to single player

Trophies and cross-buy option

It seems a little pricey at €19.99, but with plenty of shooters on the Vita, including Sky Force I guess there's a roaring trade.

No western release for the Vita, but you should be able to import the Japanese version and play along, since it looks broadly similar to the first game. And, after all, the endless shouting is pretty much the same in any language. Famitsu has some fresh art and screens, while the new trailer shows off how good it will look on the PS4.

Monday, December 4, 2017

With the western release of Demon Gaze 2 in the bag, Japan gets another dose of the squinty gazer as the Global Edition with all the updates and features comes home to roost. Kadokawa will try and revive interest, but it looks like the love has long gone from the original fun and fast RPG over there, with the first version of the sequel only selling around half of the original on launch.

Tack on another year and more gamers will have moved on, but you can't fault the publisher for trying to squeeze out a few more sales.

Lots of shuffling in the UK retail chart from the ChartTrack this week, Danganronpa is back on top of the pile while Ys VIII and Chaos;Child show that recent games can stick around among the laughable line up of old titles that kids will find in their Christmas stockings.

In case you missed them on my tweet stream, here are the Vita games that got some #screenshotsaturday love from developers. I also mentioned a few other games that looked like they would be a good fit for the handheld, never hurts to ask politely.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Ouch, ouch, horrible, horrible, make it go away. No, that's not the zombies, but this horrendous update to one of my favourite adventures on the Vita. Firstly, sorry for the long delay in getting to this review, I picked it up on-sale earlier this year, £4 makes it a bargain right?

With a lot of hindsight, 2013's first season was an epic tale, and I remember feeling every punch and shot as Lee and Clem tried to protect each other. So much so, I could overlook most of the game engine's wonky moments.

However, the sequel - which I'm now glad I left it so long to play, so I wasn't too invested in the emotional side - comes across as even worse, a less-polished jerky mess. And even if its the engine's fault again, this feels like a dark stain on the Vita. I kind of see why Telltale gave up on Sony's handheld shortly after.

Any sense of involvement rapidly vanishes when action scenes fail to work. Drama fails when huge loading delays mean you forget why you were on the edge of your seat, and poorly worded or stupid touch commands don't make sense or don't work.

That aside, Clem is a little grown up now, and surrounded by expendable characters or people you actively want to die, so there's very little of the love that I felt toward the poor survivors in the first game. Sure, things hot up a bit toward the end and the inevitable big-scene climax, but God knows what the third series is like!

Over five chapters, there's a mix of chat scenes, a litany of hard choices, extreme violence and the odd decision that doesn't add up to a hill of beans, it seems. So, in summary, avoid unless it is on sale at a very good price. Having played this mess, certainly won't bother with Telltale's other efforts, on any platform!

More Code Realize is on its way to Japan, which should come our way, given we got Guardian of Rebirth. Check out a couple of clips, plus whatever else I can dig up on another fun filled Japan video Friday...

And finally, for now, a tease of something new from VN funsters Dramatic Create, Superior Dynamis. School girls, uzis and clouds, what's not to like.